A Light in the Darkness
by warehouseluver13
Summary: Edward gets disturbing news from Colonel Mustang... Winry was found lying unconscious in an alleyway in Rush Valley! Leaping into action, the Elric brothers rush to her side, and Edward is faced with a difficult decision: which is more important? Comforting Winry in her time of need, or tracking down her attacker? *NOTE: See trigger warning before you read.*
1. Chapter 1

_**A Light in the Darkness**_

 _ **By:**_

 _ **warehouseluver13 & ****DarksteelRebelhawk**_

 ***Warning: Heavy underlying tones of assault. Please note that it is not directly written in the story, just used as a base for this fic because it's an EdWin fic, and we wanted the emotions of their relationship to truly show. This fic was not created to offend/insult any survivors of assaults. In fact, YOU are not only survivors but YOU are WARRIORS.***

 _ **Disclaimer: FMA is not ours.**_

 _ **(This fic based on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood continuity)**_

* * *

"I wonder why Colonel Mustang dragged us in today," I mused aloud to my brother, Alphonse, whose soul was bound by alchemy to a large suit of armor.

"Maybe he has an assignment for us, brother," Al suggested.

I scowled at my brother's remark. I only joined the military to try to find a way to restore our bodies, and half the time I'm doing errands for Mustang, all the while running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"It better be more important than some stupid mission. Maybe he has another lead on how to get our bodies back to normal." I said.

"Well, I guess we're about to find out," Al replied as we entered the military HQ in Central Command.

 ****FMAB****

"What's up, Mustang? Got any new info we can use yet?" I asked as we strolled into the Colonel's office. "Morning, Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Fullmetal. Sit down," the Colonel sternly commanded.

"What did we do wrong this time, Mustang? Because whatever it is, it wasn't really us," I teased as I sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk.

It looked like the Colonel was going to say something in return, but decided against it. I instantly wondered why, because this was how our mornings would usually go: we'd tease each other back and forth, get briefed on our mission or receive a lead on the search for our bodies, and then be on our way. _I guess whatever he has to say is pretty serious_.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, please handcuff Fullmetal to the chair," the Colonel commanded.

"What's the need for the handcuffs, Mustang? Is the military court martialing me? Are you?!" I asked as I allowed Hawkeye to handcuff me.

"It's more along the lines of maintaining the safety of the personnel in this building, and the building itself, after I tell you what happened," the Colonel mysteriously replied.

"Mustang, you're freaking me out. Are you going to tell me now?" I questioned as curiosity and nervousness overwhelmed my thoughts.

"We received an intel report from one of the military command posts out by Rush Valley early this morning."

The Colonel paused, only to look at me with what could be called sympathetic eyes. Why is he looking at me like that? _Who the hell do I know_ \- _Oh shit_. I watch the Colonel, who is watching me connect the dots. _He can't be serious, right?_

Mustang takes my look of disbelief as a sign to continue with his intel report. "It appears Winry Rockbell was found in an alley, beaten unconscious. A good samaritan found her and called for an ambulance, and they took her to the hospital. She is awake and asking for you."

To be honest, after Mustang spoke his first sentence, I didn't hear the rest of what he said. All I could think of was that Winry, strong willed, gearheaded, wrench-throwing Winry was beaten and dumped in an alley by some lowlife bastard. Then something occurred to me as I studied Mustang's face. He was showing signs of guilt. He possibly only told me a portion of what happened to Winry, which could only mean... _no_.

I took a deep breath. "Colonel Mustang. I'm going to ask you this question only once. What the hell _really_ happened?"

I glared at Mustang, willing him to break. However, he only stared back at me with a sad look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Fullmetal," he grimly said.

I could feel tears swelling up in my eyes, blurring my vision. "No." I said in a small voice. "Not her," I begged. "Please, anyone but her."

Then rage consumed me as I tried to break free of the handcuffs restraining me to my seat. "Whoever did it, I'm going to kick their ass! I don't care who it is, they're gonna pay!" I snarled darkly as the overwhelming urge to hit something came over me. My right arm lurched forward, the strong automail snapping the handcuff chain holding it to the sturdy furniture. However, my brother caught my arm and hauled me back into my chair before I could break my remaining restraints.

"Brother? What happened to Winry?" he whispered. He sounded confused, and more than a little scared.

Murderous rage forgotten, I looked to my brother, saddened at the fact I couldn't tell him this face to face in his real body.

I took a deep breath. "Al…. Winry was attacked and r- I mean, she was attacked and assaulted."

I stared at him, willing him to make the connection because there was no way in hell I was repeating what I said or saying the r-word. The words Winry, attacked, or assaulted should never be in the same sentence. Ever.

"We should go see her," Al replied in a small voice.

Silence quickly swallowed the mood of the room. I hastily turned my attention back towards Colonel Mustang, who had nothing more to say as he pushed two train tickets across his desk. "She's in a hospital in Dublith. Go to her."

Lieutenant Hawkeye came over to release me from my restraint. I stood up, wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my red coat, trying to get my shit together when in reality I felt like rolling up into a ball to hyperventilate and cry. "Okay. Let's go Al." I got up to leave, and managed to collect the tickets the Colonel pushed across his desk, before motioning Al to follow.

"Edward," Hawkeye softly called.

I gripped the door handle tightly to compensate for my shock at hearing my real name being used, before turning around to face Lieutenant Hawkeye. A sympathetic expression quickly crossed her face before she returned to her usual stoic and serious manner.

"Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault. You can't protect Winry and try to find a way to get your bodies back at the same time. Just be strong for her, she's going to need you."

I reached up and touched my cheek where tears had recently fallen. They weren't tears of guilt, were they? That didn't matter right now. All that mattered was Winry.

I allowed a small smile to cross my face. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

"Go to her, Edward," she replied.

* * *

 _ **Please visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_See disclaimer in Chapter One_**

* * *

I walked into the hospital with determination guiding my every step. The train ride had been unbearably long, and annoying as hell, but a necessary evil in order to travel to Dublith to see Winry. I found myself on autopilot as I stopped in front of the nurse's station, flashed my State Alchemist Watch, and demanded Winry's room number. I watched the young nurse scramble to look up the room, intimidated by my only barely conscious scowl. As soon as the number was spoken, I silently headed in the direction towards Winry's room, leaving Al behind to deal with pleasantries.

 ****FMAB****

I stopped in front of the door that bore the numbers of Winry's assigned room. I silently stared at the door wondering how my life - Winry's life - had come to this; that is, bouncing in and out of hospital rooms. (Mostly me of course.) As I began to wallow in my newfound guilt, I remembered Lieutenant Hawkeye's words of advice.

 _"Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault. You can't protect Winry and try to find a way to get your bodies back at the same time. Just be strong for her, she's going to need you."_

I shook off the guilty feeling that was trying to consume me, and squared my shoulders. For all the times Winry has been strong for me, I owe it to her to do the same in return.

I didn't want to scare her, so I made sure my footsteps were heavy enough not to catch her by surprise. I approached the bed, but was startled to see that she wasn't there. I heard a rumbling sound, and I looked over to the right side of the bed to see Winry curling up against the heater that occupied the corner of the room. I pushed down the murderous rage I had for the bastard that did this: that made Winry so damn afraid and so…. broken. Now was not the time for that. Winry needed me, and I needed to be strong for her.

I opened my mouth and forced my brain to think, so I could say something. Anything.

"I'm here." I managed to say.

 _Well, good job Ed!_ I thought. _That was brilliant! Just-_

My thoughts were interrupted by Winry who quickly latched onto me, hugging me like a security blanket. Tears soaked into my red coat as she clung to my shoulders, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her say " _Th-thank you…_ " It took my brain a second to connect but I wrapped my arms around her in a protective embrace as I guided her back down to the floor, sitting down next to her.

There was a bruise on her neck that looked like the shape of a thumb. Her right eye sported another bruise, and so did the left side of her jaw. Her nose and mouth had been bleeding; I could still see the reddish stains on her skin where the blood had trickled. Her arms were hurt, too, with one large bruise around her right upper arm and one around her left forearm. Both of them looked vaguely like handprints. A bruise was sitting on her left shin, and she was shivering in fear and pain.

I touched my forehead to hers, just like we used to do when we were little kids, and whispered, "No one will hurt you again. I will always protect you. Always."

 ****FMAB****

I was so focused on Winry that I barely heard the clinking of Al's armor enter the room. I felt my face flush red with embarrassment as Al attempted to locate Winry, but that only made me pull her closer to me. I could put up with Al's teasing later, it didn't matter to me. I kept my eyes locked on Winry's face, not caring if Al found us this way.

"Brother, did you find Winry? Is she okay?" Al asked.

I heard him clink over to the right side of the bed, figuring out that this was the only place we could be in the modestly sized hospital room.

"Oh."

I had the feeling if Al could, he would be sheepishly smiling at us, knowing that he probably walked in on something that didn't involve him.

"I-I think I heard Teacher calling for me, so, uh, yeah. Bye Winry." Al hastily made his awkward retreat, his clinking armor echoing as he exited the room.

Her face lit up briefly, a small, shy smile appearing on her lips before vanishing just as quickly as it came, leaving only the lingering bruises that never should have been put there in the first place. I clenched my right fist, the steel automail prosthetic straining against the pressure I put into the quietly shaking arm. _Someone did this to her. Some bastard...someone did THIS to Winry. She can't even smile! And for that, they're going to pay!_

* * *

 ** _Please_** ** _leave a review and_** ** _visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing!_**

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**See disclaimer in Chapter One**_

* * *

The next day I called Colonel Mustang and demanded that I get assigned to Winry's case. Al and I had been sequestered at our Teacher's house, and her husband Sig had recommended I try to get a leg up on what's happening.

"Fullmetal, I said no," the Flame Alchemist stated.

"Damnit Mustang! I want to do this! I _need_ to do this! What if it was Hawkeye that was attacked? What would happen then? I know! You would demand to take over the case, and ignite the bastard who hurt her! Am I right Mustang?" I ranted in frustration.

Mustang spoke solemnly. "Even if that happened to Lieutenant Hawkeye, Fullmetal, I would let _real_ justice be served first. I said no because we don't need you here. We can catch this bastard on our own and bring him to justice our way. Winry needs you more than you need revenge, Edward, so stay where you are and visit her. Now," He ordered.

I let out a sigh of defeat, not wanting to tell Mustang that he was right. "Okay, I'll stay here, but can you at least keep me in the loop?" I asked.

"I'll see what I can do, Fullmetal," Colonel Mustang replied.

I scowled as I hung up the phone. He owes me, so I better damn well be kept in the loop. Honestly, I don't care how the bastard gets sentenced, but I would prefer to beat him senseless before he goes to trial. _And I'd rather die than see him walk away…There won't be any escape from us._

 ****FMAB****

I approached the door of Winry's room and heard a slight commotion going on inside. I opened the door and found a shirtless Major Armstrong arguing with my former Teacher, Izumi, while little Elicia Hughes sat next to Winry on her bed and held her hand. The child's eyes were so sad, mirroring Winry's, and yet I could swear she didn't know why. I noticed a slightly scattered bouquet of roses sitting on the floor.

"What were you thinking? Do you have any sense of tact at ALL?" Teacher managed not to shout.

"She n-needed comforting! I...I couldn't help it! I always take my shirt off when I'm emotional!" Armstrong was fidgeting nervously, like a kid being chastised for bad behavior.

Teacher leaned in and hissed a harsh whisper at Armstrong's face, so that Elicia didn't hear, "Did it even once occur to you that it might be a _damn stupid_ idea to strip in front of an assault victim before trying to hug them?!"

Armstrong suddenly went totally pale, nervous sweat dripping down his chiseled features.

"I thought not," Teacher mumbled, then reached up and grabbed him by the single lock of hair that coiled off of his forehead. "You're leaving now, for the girl's sake."

I blinked repeatedly as the irritable housewife alchemist yanked the Major down the hallway past me, only stopping for long enough to put a sympathetic hand on my non-metal shoulder. "She'll need your help, kid," was all she said before continuing to drag Armstrong by the scalp.

"You'll be able to play again once you feel better, right?" Elicia asked before being lifted up into her mother's arms. The three-year-old girl squirmed and whined, obviously unwilling to leave Winry behind. "But she's not happy, Mommy! I want to make Winry happy so she can play!"

Winry giggled, the hint of a smile showing itself once again as Gracia quietly excused herself from the room. I could hear Elicia asking questions even after the door closed… "Mommy, why is Winry so hurt? Who would hurt someone as nice as her?"

Winry's eyes snapped wide open as the toddler's voice faded. Her face grew flat and expressionless, and she seemed to shrink inward on herself, shuddering. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and curling up like a lost child in the dark. Her head dropped between her knees, and the squeaky bed shook with the force of her racking sobs.

"Winry!" said a voice in the corner, and I looked over to see my little brother rush to the bedside, his metal-plated leather gauntlets folding over Winry's shaking shoulders. I quickly approached on his left, standing off to the side and watching my closest friend in the world crumble under the weight of her own feelings.

"I-I don't know...I do-don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore," she moaned quietly. "I just feel so angry and scared and...and... _wrong!_ "

I sit next to her, cautiously reaching out to gently rub her back. "You aren't the wrong one, Winry. You aren't, and you won't ever be, do you hear? It's not your fault."

"He's right, Winry," Alphonse interjected. "You had no control over the situation."

I put my steel finger to my lips, but it was too late. She froze. I glared, making sure he knew to keep his echoing mouth shut.

"No. I … I had no control at all, over anything. I couldn't do anything to stop it, I couldn't control my own body, it hurt so much. He had a bat, and he just kept hitting me, and it hurt so much! And then...oh God..." She broke down, and the only thing we could do was wait for her agonized tears to wash away some of her fear.

Every gasp, every sob, was like a stab to my heart, and each time the pain multiplied. My entire body shook with anger, and I _knew_ if Lieutenant Hawkeye was like this, nothing would stand between Mustang and his revenge. Nothing. I shook my head in disgust. That egotistical bastard was trying to be righteous, and I really, really wanted to call him out on his bullshit; but as I looked at Winry's shaking shoulders, I knew I couldn't. Mustang was right about one thing. Winry needed me more than I needed revenge.

"Uuuhhh, brother?" Al muttered, and before I could glare yet again, he had pulled off his head. "Do you think Winry would like to have a cat right now?" He reached down his neck and pulled out a small, fluffy calico cat. The frightened animal clambered over Al's arm and sat nervously on the far side of his shoulder, away from the gaping hole in his torso. He put his head back on and handed me the cat, which quickly began struggling to escape my awkward grip.

"Where did you get it?" I groaned, as the poor thing darted behind Winry in terror.

Winry, who had lifted her head from its resting place, stared at the furry form that was taking shelter underneath her folded legs. She quietly stroked the cat's ears, and it settled down with a soft purr. "Thanks, Alphonse," Winry said calmly. "She's so cute." A smile appeared on her tired and battered face, and the sun seemed to shine through the window just a little brighter. "She's just a little scared, that's all." Winry's eyes clouded slightly, tears gathering at the corners of her lashes. "Just a little scared. Just...just like me…" Her voice cracks, but she bravely holds back the fresh wave of pain I can see in the rigid set of her body.

"Don't worry, Winry. _We're_ here for you," Al said, taking a second to glance at me and see if it was okay for him to talk again. "If you need anything at all, we'll be right nearby. And that kitty seems to really like you, so maybe it'll stay with you and keep you company!"

Winry nodded slowly. "I...I guess I could try sleeping, since...since it is you guys who are keeping watch." She settled down, lying on her side and keeping her knees close to her body as Al pulled the sheets over her. "You guys wouldn't even let Granny in if you thought it would bother me." The cat climbed up over her, settling inside the gap between her arms and legs. Her eyes struggled to stay open, and for the first time I realized that she probably had been too afraid to sleep until now. She let out a shaky breath, and finally seemed to relax, even if only a little. Before she fell into unconsciousness, she seemed to have a thought. "Ed...Al...Get some milk…" Her head hit the pillow.

I glared at the cat, which had settled its head on her thigh. It stared back at me, unblinking. "This is your fault, you fuzzy little monster." I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "She wouldn't have wanted us to get milk if you weren't here."

"Brother, don't blame the cat!" Alphonse exclaimed.

I turned my glare towards him. "Will you be quiet! Winry is trying to sleep!"

"And you say you aren't in love with her…" Alphonse mumbled.

"What was that?!" I angrily asked.

"Nothing, brother!" Al quickly denied.

 ****FMAB****

"AAAIIIEEEEEE! Ed! Al! HELP!"

I bolted upright from my dazed slumber, and quickly realized Winry was screaming. I ran into her room and skidded to a halt by her bedside with Alphonse clanking in behind me. She looked up at me with panic in her eyes; eyes that locked onto mine as she clutched frantically at her thin sheets. Rain pounded against the window, drawing streaks of shadow across the wall behind us. The table lamp, which we had left on, had been knocked over, and the pottery base was broken. The lamp's shade was turned away from Winry, leaving her isolated in the darkness. I raised my arm to shield my eyes before I realized that the lampshade's wide bottom opening was aimed straight at me and Al. "Winry!" I shouted. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

She could only whimper for a moment, as she reached out to grab at my hands. Her fingers latched around my automail arm, and she yanked me toward her, hauling me off-balance and causing me to fall face-first onto her bed. I opened my eyes after the impact, my head lolling over the other side, and I saw the little calico cat huddled in the corner near the radiator, trembling.

"Ed, Al, please, don't go. D-don't go anywhere, okay?" She spoke almost too fast for me to follow. "He was there! I saw him, he was there, and he did it again! Again!" I rolled over, onto my back, and sat up to meet her eyes. She grabbed my other hand, and I almost leapt out of my skin with the pressure she put on my fingers. "I don't want to feel so afraid like this anymore! I swear I saw him, but I know he wasn't there. But Ed…" She began to cry. "It...it felt so _real_."

Al sat down on her other side, and even though his face didn't change, I could tell he felt the same as I did: out of our depth. _I can stare down murderers and criminals that wouldn't hesitate to kill me. So why do I feel so damned helpless trying to comfort Winry?!_

"You're still here, Winry. You're here with us, and you're alive." I just said what I thought, and to hell with planning. She didn't want flowery reassurance and false promises. She wanted _us_.

"When Colonel Mustang told me what had happened to you…" I blinked back the hint of a tear from my own eyes, looking toward the rain-spattered window. The dark outside was broken only by the reflection of my eyes on the glass, points of gold standing off against the sea of black and blue. _I have to stay strong for her._ "...I almost lost control. They had to handcuff me to a chair to keep me from storming out and tearing apart whatever I found. But they made me realize how stupid I was to try and fight my way out of this. I know it's hard, Winry, but as much as we want to...no matter how much we ache when we see you like this...we can't fight this for you. You have to try. Try and fight your fears, Winry. You're the only one who can win that battle."

Winry hugged me with all her strength, and while I struggled to breathe, Al just stared at me. One of the little lights in his helmet winked, and he slyly held up a thumb. I felt my face go red, but before I could silently shout at him, Winry's shoulders stopped shaking. She took a deep breath, and pulled back from the hug. "Thank you, Ed," she whispered, a bit of iron creeping into her voice.

The cat jumped carefully back onto the bed, striding quietly up to us and nudging its forehead against my leg before climbing onto Winry's lap. It meowed, annoyed that its rest had been disturbed. Winry stroked its back, and it calmed down, settling into a lazy sprawl over her legs. "I...I was having a nightmare. A flashback to the...the attack. I must have tossed and turned a bit, because I woke up screaming next to a broken lamp and a terrified cat." She held up her left arm, inspecting it. "I think the lamp might have cut me when it broke. That must have been what woke me up." Now that I looked, I could see a long, thin line of blood drying across Winry's forearm. The cut hadn't been very deep, thankfully.

"I'll get a bandage for that from one of the orderlies," Al said. "Stay right here, Winry. Edward won't go anywhere, _will_ you, brother?" I glanced at him, and his eye lights grew brighter for a split second. _His voice sounds like he's smiling._ He turned around and waved over his shoulder as he left the room.

I rolled my eyes at him. "If you're ditching on me, you won't be allowed to pet Winry's cat, you hear?" I called after him jokingly as the door closed. His footsteps stopped briefly, then continued forward a little faster. Winry looked puzzled, and I shrugged. "We came up with a little system to keep us alert in the night hours. If he shirks his duty as your guard, he's not allowed near the cat. If I shirk mine, I have to take care of the thing for the day."

Winry gave an amused snort, shaking her head at me. "I think I'll name her," she mused, staring at the purring furball perched on her long legs, "but I can't think of any good names."

A flick of the cat's ear expressed its indifference. Winry scratched it just behind the irritable ear, and the cat's eyes closed to tiny slits. Another purr softly rumbled out of its chest. "I mean, if you want to...I'm certainly not gonna stop you." I mumbled awkwardly. "Go ahead. Name your cat."

"I...I thiiink I might have an idea." She picked the cat up, cradling it like a baby as she flipped it upside down. She studied its face, looking at the cat's eyes. They were slightly darker than most cat eyes, a deep orange color with little flecks of yellow. Winry put her face up to its nose, and smiled. A real smile, one that lasted for more than an instant. She looked up at me, stroking a patch of orange-brown fur on the cat's belly. "I know exactly what to call her."

I looked at the cat with uncertainty, hoping Winry wouldn't grow _too_ attached to it; it might encourage Al in the future. Al's hollow footsteps drew my attention to the door. _It's about time he returned._

I saw Al open the door just a crack, looking around to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything. When he made eye contact with me, he took a step back, realizing I had been glaring at him the entire time. He sheepishly made his entrance, as he handed off the roll of bandages to me. "Here you go, brother." I continued to glare at him as I accepted the bandages, and watched Al slowly move to the right side of the bed.

I was about to address Winry concerning her cut, when Al piped up. "Winry?" He drew her attention away from the smugly staring cat, and she looked up to find him hopefully hovering next to her. "Do you think I could pet the cat?"

Her smile brightened, and she handed off the offending creature to my brother. "Of course, Al." I watched the cat squirm as Alphonse hugged it close to him.

"What a pretty kitty!" he bubbled, rocking from side to side with the helplessly swinging animal.

I almost pitied the poor thing, being forced to return to its former captor. The sound of laughter filled the room, and I turned to see a beam of moonlight shining down on Winry's face. I looked to the window, and realized that it had stopped raining.

* * *

 _ **Please visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**See disclaimer in Chapter One**_

* * *

I woke up the next morning to a sharp blow on the top of my head, sending me toppling to the floor from where I had been sitting outside Winry's room. "Ow! What the…?"

I heard Al shout "My head! Hey!" He stood up and ran down the hallway after the skidding helmet, clanking and clattering in his haste. I looked up to see the imposing figure of Izumi Curtis, my old alchemy teacher, looming over me, her hands planted firmly on her hips. I shrank away from her dark scowl, averting my eyes from a stare that could drill through stone.

"Just _what_ do you have to say for yourself, Edward Elric?!" Her voice boomed as she leaned over and brought her face that much closer to mine. "Your friend is sitting in that room, alone and undefended, while you two slackers take a beauty nap? Unbelievable!"

"T-Teacher?!"

"You only had one job, Ed! And this is how you do it? You should both be ashamed," she shouted, wheeling on Alphonse, who had only just returned his head to its proper place. I could see a dent in it where she had hit him.

"Uu-uuuh," stuttered Al, unable to form a coherent argument while his legs were still trembling.

The frightening housewife was about to say much more, but a creak from the wooden door stopped her train of thought. Winry stepped out, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walked barefoot into the hallway. "It's okay, Mrs. Curtis," she mumbled. "It's okay. I'm fine."

I smiled confidently as Teacher lost her head of steam. "If you're sure that these idiots are doing their duties, then I'll let them be." She assumed her default stance, standing tall and crossing her arms in front of her.

Winry waved a hand dismissively, blinking at the bright light in the hallway. "You know how they are, ma'am," she said. "Once a slacker, always a slacker." She retreated into her room, smiling slyly at me as my jaw dropped in horror.

"Aw, come ON Winry!" I groaned as Teacher got right back to punishing our 'slacking'.

"I wasn't sleeping!" wailed Al, raising his arms over his head in surrender. "I can't! I was awake, I swear!"

Teacher glared at us, and if looks could kill…. we'd be dead twice."Honestly. I thought you boys actually _cared_ about Winry."

 _That's going too far!_

" **How** _ **dare**_ **you?** "

I slowly got to my feet. A clang rang out from my right side as my automail arm tensed, my fist clenching in a tight knot of rage.

"Have you seen her? Have you ever talked to her for more than a few minutes? You don't get it, because you never really met her until now. But I _grew up with her!_ Besides Alphonse, she is the best friend I will ever have, and she's _**broken!**_ Her strength is gone, her face can barely manage a smile! And you have the nerve to question how I feel? You don't know shit! You can't feel what I feel, just like I can't feel what she feels; and you don't have a single damned clue how much it hurts to see her in pain." I felt a hot streak run across my face, and I reached up with my sleeve to dash away the tears of anger that had begun to fall. "Al and I would give anything to keep her safe. We would give up anything to heal the hurts she's suffered. Hell, I'd go through the Portal of Truth all over again just to stop her damn nightmares! I'd lose every limb I've got to keep her safe, but now...I can't do anything. I can't heal her, I can't stop her from being afraid, and I feel so helpless! _**So look me in the face and tell me again that I don't care!**_ "

" _...Ed?..._ "

I froze. I looked over my shoulder, and saw Winry standing behind me, the cat held in her arms as her shoulder propped the door open. Her eyes were wide, the clear blue fogging over with shock and tears.

"...H-hey, Winry," I finally mutter, swiping my arm across my eyes one more time before facing her. "So...you're fully awake now."

"Y-yes. I am." Her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. "I...I just wanted to know what all the commotion was about…"

Teacher spoke up. "Edward. I was wrong to accuse you. Be glad I'm in a good mood… Oh, by the way, one Colonel Mustang called the house asking for you. It sounded important; you should probably check in."

Al tapped his chin quizzically. "What does the Colonel want, brother?"

"I'll explain on the way, Al, but we have to get moving." I glanced at Winry, who was still standing in the doorway. The cat was nudging her neck with its face, and her eyes looked so confused. _I can't just leave her alone here_. Teacher was right about that much…"Hey, Teacher? Could you...watch over Winry while we're gone? I don't know how long we'll be, but this is something we have to do. And if there's anyone who can keep her safe, it's...it's definitely you." I looked her in the eyes and willed her to understand. "You're not a 'slacker' like us."

Teacher returned my gaze, then looked to Winry, who was still scared, still a little lost. She nodded, and flashed her rare smile. "Looks like we'll be getting to know each other fairly well."

 ****FMAB****

As we approached the butcher shop that Teacher's husband ran, my thoughts still couldn't leave that hospital room. I didn't want to make Winry feel abandoned...believe me, that's the very last thing she needs. But if Mustang is going to keep his end of the deal, the least I can do is keep mine.

Sig Curtis greeted me at the door, holding a huge meat cleaver and wearing a slightly stained white apron over his dark grey shirt. "There was a man named Mustang calling. He wanted to speak to you boys. It was rather urgent, as I recall." He then walked back into the shop, leading me to the telephone without another word. It wasn't really necessary.

I picked up the phone and called the Colonel's office. He picked up immediately. "Hey, Fullmetal, is that you?"

"Yeah, Colonel, it's me."

"Listen. we could use a hand up here. We're a little short-staffed." I heard the jab, and bristled.

"Who're you calling short?!" I shouted, holding the receiver right in front of my face.

"Relax, Fullmetal. That's not what I meant this time, anyway. You have to get to Rush Valley quickly. We've picked up a strong lead on Winry's attacker, and we're following him right now. The only problem is that he's cleverer than we thought he'd be. He's using every evasive tactic he can think of, and we don't have enough men to sustain a prolonged manhunt."

"Don't worry about it. We'll be there! When did you..." I was interrupted by Mustang.

"I've got a call coming in from one of my men on another line. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done." The phone clicked, and I heard the hiss of rushing static.

Al tapped me on the shoulder. "What did he say, brother? You looked pretty happy."

"I _am_ happy, Al," I said, grinning at him. "They've identified the guy that hurt Winry, and they've set up a manhunt for him. Only problem is, he's not stupid. They're worried they don't have enough men, so Mustang called us in!"

"That's great, brother! If they found him already, then it shouldn't be long now. Colonel Mustang is really clever when it comes to this kind of thing." Al's eye lights twinkled with anticipation. "We'll be able to come back and tell Winry that the man who hurt her has been arrested!"

"Yeah. That would be something, all right." Suddenly, the phone cut back to the Colonel's voice, but it was faint, like the phone was far away from his head.

"...what do you mean...not good enough, damnit! I want a perimeter...search until you find the bastard! We are _not_ letting him get away!"

Al tapped me on the shoulder. "What is it now, brother? You look stressed."

I shook my head, wondering what happened to get the Colonel this worked up. "Something's wrong on their end. Mustang's not talking to me directly, but I can hear him shouting."

Al crouched and leaned forward, listening to the phone as we waited for the Colonel to explain what was happening. Suddenly, we heard a far-off mumble, followed almost immediately by a huge slamming noise and a shouted, " _Shit!_ "

"Colonel, what the hell is going on over there?" I finally exclaimed.

He seemed surprised, but I could barely tell underneath the frustration that practically dripped from his voice. "He slipped away! I don't know how he did it, but one moment he was in clear view of one of my men, and the next, a two hundred pound man just vanished into thin air!" My knuckles, the left ones, popped loudly as my fist tightened.

"What do you mean he vanished? People don't vanish!"

"I know that! He's got to be somewhere, but we've completely surrounded the area he was last seen in, and we're getting nothing."

Al shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. He'd have to have passed through there somehow without you catching him. Maybe he's using a disguise!"

"Alphonse? Since when were you holding the phone?"

"He isn't, but this concerns him too," I explained.

"You're right about that much. I'm going to call in some favors from Eastern Command, see if I can get reinforcements. This weird disappearing trick is too familiar, and I don't remember from where. It's bothering me." He sighed heavily, then continued. Now, he just sounded tired. "Come here or stay with Winry, Fullmetal. It's your call now."

"Don't worry, Mustang, we're coming. And this time, that bastard won't be able to escape from _us_." My voice growled near the back of my throat as I hung up the phone. _Not now. Not after all he's done!_

 ****FMAB****

Colonel Mustang opened the door to his office, and Lieutenant Hawkeye saluted to the Colonel as we entered. "Still no sign yet, sir, but we're making progress!"

I gazed in awe at the remarkable efficiency with which Mustang's men had gathered their resources. Everyone in the room was holding a phone, radio or map, and nobody was idle for longer than a second. "Fury!" barked the Colonel. "Status report!" Sergeant Fury was hunched over a radio, holding a large black box in his lap. Two wheels spun inside it, pulling a long roll of black tape between them…

"A tape recorder?" Al exclaimed. "Cool!"

Sergeant Fury stood up, grabbing the recorder and tucking it under his arm before saluting. "We've been recording the emergency call number and tip lines for the past two hours! No suspicious activity has been detected, and there haven't been any reports of new victims!"

"Good work, Fury. Keep it up."

Fury smiled widely and nodded. "Yes, sir! Thank you sir!"

"Elrics, talk to Fury and Havoc. They'll give you the rundown on what's happened."

I frowned. "I thought Havoc was injured!"

He rolled up to us, his usual smirk replaced by a grimace. He was in a wheelchair. "Nice to know you care, Fullmetal. As it happens, the Colonel can be quite...persuasive, when it comes to adventurous quests for vengeance."

He handed both of us a large packet of paper. "These are field reports from two different units that were stationed in the area when the search began. We've been combing through them for clues, but maybe you two will be able to spot something we had missed. Fresh eyes and all that."

"Thanks for the help, Havoc," I mumbled. "Maybe you could get us another ten pounds of paper just to make us feel at home, eh?"

"I don't think that'll be very hospitable of us. We don't want the paper to outweigh you, after all." He winked.

"Whyyy yyouuuu…!" I lunged, only to be lifted bodily into the air by my little brother.

"Careful, brother! It was only a joke! Don't beat up people in wheelchairs!"

"I weigh a hell of a lot more than a stack of paper, you jerk!" I fumed, still suspended in the air.

Havoc just laughed and rolled away, whistling.

"We do have to actually start looking at the reports eventually, brother," Al groaned. He paused and put me back on the ground. I looked up at him, and his eye lights twinkled. "After all, the longer we're here, the longer Winry's all alone."

I jumped a little, and glared at him. "That was a low blow, Al. But you're right. We have to get going as soon as we can." Sergeant Fury motioned to two chairs behind him, and we sat down and began reading.

 _These people are clueless, aren't they? Some guy sends a tip about Winry and they don't even know who he is? What a joke! He could have been a valuable witness. Why didn't he stick around?_ "The 'good samaritan' had called an ambulance to Winry's location and left without a trace. It doesn't make sense to me, Al. Most concerned citizens would at least try to stay with the person they helped, but this one just ran away. It's suspicious." I was reclining in the stiff wooden chair, leaning it back on two legs.

"You're right. That is really unusual. But listen to this." Al held up his packet, and began sorting out his own discoveries. "The attack happened sometime after two in the afternoon, as far as Winry remembers. But the wounds she suffered hadn't even matured to an hour's time when she was found at three forty five. That means that there can't have been too much more than a half an hour between the time she was hurt and the time the ambulance arrived. With that kind of a time difference..."

"...It's entirely possible that the good samaritan may have crossed paths with Winry's attacker without knowing it." I finished, my fist clenching. "So close, but still so far away from anything we can use!"

Suddenly, a new tip call came in over Fury's radio. He quickly switched on the tape recorder, and we waited to see what would happen. The operator asked for the caller's name, and got a smug laugh in response. "*Names don't matter, stupid. I have information you want.*" I sat bolt upright, a chill running down my spine as the harsh, nasal voice continued. Al stared at me, his head shaking slightly from side to side.

"The fifth laboratory," we muttered in unison.

"*I saw that guy you're after, the one who beat up that girl last week. I was walking my dog, minding my own business and thinking about what I was gonna have for dinner later, when this creepy guy ran out of an alley with a bat.*" The call continued, and there was no doubt about it: it was the green-haired homunculus from the fifth laboratory.

Havoc rolled up to us, his brow quirked as he asked, "The fifth laboratory? You mean the one that collapsed on top of you?" He glanced toward the radio, listening to the distinct voice still emanating from it. "Do you know this guy, Fullmetal?"

"Unfortunately, I do," I growled. Alphonse just put his hand on my shoulder silently.

"*He threw the thing in a trash can and beat feet to the other side of town. Now that I think about it, he was splitting in the opposite direction from that girl's reported location, and he looked just like the picture on the wanted posters!*" The speaker buzzed oddly, and we all heard the voice shout, "*No, you moron, don't eat that!*" before the phone on the other end hung up.

Sergeant Fury scowled. "That's no way to treat a dog."

Alphonse stood up. "That wasn't a dog he was talking to," he said. "It was a homunculus, and so was the one speaking. That voice belonged to Envy, the homunculus that was at the fifth laboratory." He paused. "Now that I think about it, he was also at that cabin in the woods that got destroyed. I bet he was talking to the other homunculus that showed up there."

Lieutenant Hawkeye turned her head toward us, a strangely haunted look in her eyes. "The fat one. The one that attacked me in the sniper's nest. What was it called?...Gluttony."

"That's the one that swallowed me," I mused. "He's dangerous. They both are. But not only are they nearly impossible to kill," I slammed my fist on the table, causing Sergeant Fury's radio to bounce slightly, "Envy can change his appearance!"

Mustang narrowed his eyes. "You think he was the one that attacked Winry."

"I wouldn't put it past him. He's a sadistic bastard with a love for dramatics. This is just his style."

Al shrugged. "It doesn't look particularly good for us, but at least we've got something. Learning that our enemy is a homunculus is better than learning nothing."

Lieutenant Hawkeye nodded in agreement. "You're one step closer to catching Winry's attacker, Edward." she added.

"I don't want to be one step closer. One step closer is one step too far away!" I barked. "We don't have anything to go off of! We know who they are, but not how to find them."

"Not so fast, Fullmetal." I glanced at Mustang irritably, wondering what kind of faulty scheme he was cooking up this time. "At the end of Envy's phone call, he was yelling at the homunculus Gluttony to stop eating something. The sight of a person eating an inedible object would most likely attract attention from civilians. I'll update my men in the field to keep an eye out for unusual disturbances being reported." Mustang picked up his phone, to contact his men.

I bristled, finally having had enough. "Colonel, with _all_ due respect, maybe we should actually _do something!_ I'm tired of sitting on my ass while this freak walks around scot-free. If we're going to catch him, maybe we should listen to somebody who hasn't _failed_ yet!" I stormed out of the room, not even giving Mustang the chance to reply.

"Brother! Wait! You're not thinking too clearly either, you know!" Alphonse ran after me, trying to maintain at least an illusion of peace.

I sharply turned on my heel to face him, annoyed that Al couldn't see the severity of the situation. "You don't get it, do you Al?! Mustang said he didn't need me, he said that he could catch this bastard without me, and when he finally did find him, what happened? He let him escape! He let him get away!" I fought back the hot tears that threatened to fall. "I should have ignored Mustang, and came here when I wanted to! If I was here, I would have caught that egotistical homunculus the first time around! Then Winry would have some closure, knowing that her attacker had been caught! Maybe her nightmares would stop! Maybe she would finally laugh and smile freely again! Because I've already failed her once Al, and I sure as hell don't want to do it AGAIN!"

"Brother… it's not his _fault_. None of us has ever been able to pin Envy down. The only one who could was Gluttony, and they're on the same side, remember? The only way I stood a chance against _that_ thing was by surrendering!" He ran ahead of me and blocked my path, taking up as much space in the hallway as he could. "This isn't a plan, it's suicide, and you're being selfish if you think this is a good reason to get killed!"

I stopped in my tracks. "What are you talking about?" I snarled.

"I've been Winry's friend for as long as I've been alive, just like you! You think you're the only one who cares about her? Are you really so conceited that you think you can prove everyone wrong and save the day all by yourself?! Sorry, brother, but you don't have a _clue_ what's really going on, and I'm willing to prove it."

I ducked under his outstretched arms, but he snagged my hood and yanked it over my face, obscuring my vision. I felt his grip release, and flung the hood back in time to see a heavily armored knee fly towards me. It caught me in the shoulder, sending me flying backwards. "I know you're angry!" he yelled. "But that's no reason to forsake everyone! They wanted nothing more than to help us, and you just betrayed all of their trust just as surely as they betrayed yours!"

His huge fist swung towards the side of my face, and I brought my right arm up to block it. He pulled the punch just before it connected, using its momentum to spin his body around. He dropped to the floor and swung his leg out from underneath him, kicking me solidly in the back of the legs and throwing me off my feet. "You want to make Winry feel safer by catching Envy, but how safe will she feel if Colonel Mustang has to tell her that you died?!"

I flipped to my feet, but Al was faster. His other foot whirled out and landed squarely in my chest, forcing the air from my lungs and toppling me backwards. "You want to be the hero, brother," he said, stepping firmly on my automail leg, "but divided, we fall. Even heroes need friends."

"Do you think I'm some sort of idiot, Al?!" I struggle to get to my feet, but he puts more weight on my leg. "I'm tired of people getting hurt because of us! Because of our mission! Like… like Brigadier General Hughes, or Nina, or... Winry. Every time we bring anyone else into our business, somebody suffers because of it, and I'm done watching people I know get hurt. If we do this alone, only we will suffer for our mistakes. If we do this alone, it doesn't matter if we fight against the odds, because at least we're the only ones facing them anymore!" Streams of tears fall down my face, and Al lets me stand up. "If we do it alone...we won't hurt anyone."

"You forgot what I said, didn't you? Look at you, Ed. You're the older one, and you're still arguing selectively like a kid. What happens if Winry finds out about what you're trying to do?" His voice cracks inside the helmet. "What if Mustang...no. What if _I_ have to walk up to her, look her in the eyes, and tell her that you didn't make it?! She's hurt already, brother, but _that_...that would _kill_ her inside."

I felt the blood drain from my face as I collapsed to my knees. My vision blurred, and I felt lightheaded as I struggled to comprehend what I had almost done. Al sat down, putting his hands on my shoulders. "I just wanted to stop her from hurting. I just want to make her happy again…" My hands clapped over my temples, warding off a headache. I tried my best not to scream, but I just felt so... _raw_. "I...I…"

Al gave me a hug, his huge steel arms wrapping gently around my trembling body. My hands clenched, slamming against his hollow chest and sliding to the ground as I cried.

* * *

 ** _Please_** ** _leave a review and_** ** _visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing! More chapters to follow!_**

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**See disclaimer in Chapter One**_

* * *

The hospital building loomed over us, and I automatically shivered, remembering why we had returned to such a gloomy place. Both me and Al decided to check in on Winry before joining the Rush Valley manhunt to search for Envy. I exchanged glances with my little brother, who nodded in encouragement. I sighed and began walking towards Winry's safe haven, with Al falling in step behind me.

When we approached the door to Winry's room, there were voices coming from the other side, meaning that Winry had visitors. I knocked loudly before opening the door to enter, with Al clinking in behind me. I smiled when I saw that Teacher and Panako were visiting Winry, who was smiling and appeared to be deep in conversation with the both of them.

"...and then they asked me about it, and I just looked at them like, 'Are you nuts? No!' and they were so upset…" She happened to glance our way as we opened the door, and all three of them burst into hysterical laughter. "Haahahah! H-hey, guys! I- uh, well we were just t-talking about you, and…" Her face grew red, and she continued to laugh like she had never seen something as funny as me in her entire life.

My face flushed red with embarrassment. "Come ON Winry! I was seven!"

"And I was six!" Al quickly added.

All three of them looked at us, dumbfounded at our terrible excuses, before continuing to laugh even harder. I should've guessed that our stupid fight over who would marry Winry would come back and bite us in the ass eventually. But as I looked at Winry heartily laughing, probably for the first time in a while, I smiled. At this rate, I didn't care. As long as Winry was feeling better, I was happy. The calico cat jumped down from the bed and walked around my feet, sliding along my legs before rejoining Winry.

"Hey, Ed! Come on, Granny brought her stew over!" Her eyes shone, and I noticed three empty bowls sitting on the little table by Winry's bed, with a small stew pot placed next to them. Granny produced another bowl with a spoon, and Al slumped slightly.

"I wish I could remember what it smelled like," he mumbled. I looked at him, and jammed my right elbow into his side. "What was that for?" he asked.

"You're not gonna get all sad now, are you? We just got here! Winry's laughing and everything! I'll eat two helpings, one for me and one for you. How about it?"

He sighed, and nodded. "But you better eat mine first, brother."

"I don't know Al. Seeing as how I'm the oldest, I think I'm going to eat my bowl first," I smirked, with a mischievous tone in my voice.

Granny scowled. "You eat your brother's stew, Edward, or I'll make you drink all of the milk I brought for Amber!"

I jumped back, alarmed by the threat, but stopped and cocked my head to the side out of curiosity. "Amber?"

Winry lifted the calico cat, smiling. "That's her name now. Her eyes are almost like yours, so I named her after the color of her eyes. That way if you leave, I'll still have something to remind me of you two." She blushed slightly as she said this.

I blushed too, but only for a second. Then my thoughts rushed to the humiliation of being forced to drink cat-designated milk, of all things. _It'd be even worse than any other kind of milk!_

"I don't care if she is my eye-clone, I'm still not drinking milk!" I snatched the bowl from Granny and filled it to the brim with stew. "This one's for you, Alphonse," I said in a solemn voice, and began to eat voraciously.

"If you choke, we _will_ laugh at you," informed Teacher. Granny shook her head, and Winry glared at her. Teacher saw their expressions and shrugged. "Or at least, _I_ will."

I continued eating, realizing it had been a few days since I had a solid meal instead of a bunch of snacks. Al made a move to slap me on the back and get me to gag, but I ducked to the side and stared him down. Gulping down the last few spoonfuls, I grin at him. "Nice try, but I don't want to lose a single drop of _your_ stew, Al. Choke me, and you choke yourself."

"Choke you, and I make you drink milk. You need it, brother."

My smile turned quickly into a frown. "No I don't! I don't need it, I don't want it, and you won't make me drink it!"

"You'll be a shrimp forever at this rate, Edward." scolded Granny.

"Shut up! I'm getting taller, you know!"

Winry looked at me like I had two heads. I stopped growling at Granny when she spoke, quietly and coolly. "Ed, do you know why I'm not in a full cast?"

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at her. "...What?" I asked, stunned.

"I was hit by a man twice my size with a blunt weapon. Repeatedly. For a long time." Her eyes closed, and beads of moisture formed at the edges of her eyes as she remembered the experience. She blinked them away, and continued bravely. "Most people still wouldn't be able to move, even after as long as I've had to heal. When you and Izumi had that argument a few days ago, and I walked out of the room, it was the first time I was able to stand comfortably. So, do you know why I'm in such good shape?" Her brow furrowed dangerously.

"Uh...not really, no…"

"Because I drink milk, Ed. I drink milk and eat well, and I'm very healthy. It's probably the only reason my skull didn't break when he knocked me out after… after he was done." Her fists clenched. "So go ahead. You can avoid milk for the rest of your life for all I care. But if you pick yet another fight you can't handle, and end up like this," she shouted, gesturing to the still-visible bruises on her face, neck and arms, "you'll know why!" She started to tear up, just a little, but didn't make a sound, sitting stone still and waiting for my response.

I stood up calmly, walked over to Granny, and held out a hand. "Give me one," I said curtly, expecting some kind of taunt or gloat. But she merely pulled a small bottle of milk out of a bag, handing it to me silently. I popped the top off of it, my face blank. Looking Winry right in the eyes, I raised the bottle as if I were proposing a toast. I proceeded to drain it, subduing my initial gag reflex and trying to ignore the taste.

When I was done, I looked at her again. She was just as shocked as everyone else. I put the bottle on the nightstand and crossed my arms in front of me. "Something as stupid as milk should _never_ be a reason for you to cry," I intoned, daring her to challenge me again.

After a nervous pause, Al pretended to clear his nonexistent throat. " _Ahem_. So… uh, we've gotta go back to Rush Valley soon…"

Winry quickly shook herself out of her confused daze, asking, "Why Rush Valley? Don't you mean Central Command?"

I shook my head. "If we have to go to Central, it's already too late. Mustang and his men brought reinforcements to the military police in Rush Valley, due to their earlier inability to catch the guy who hurt you. What's worse, we have a good idea of who it is."

Winry paled slightly at the news, and suddenly found Amber to be the most interesting thing in the room. "R-really?" she whispered, hugging the cat in a tight embrace.

I felt Teacher glare in my direction, warning me that I should phrase my next words carefully, or I would face her wrath. I shivered, getting the sense that while me and Al were at Central, Teacher and Winry had bonded rather quickly.

"The man who did this to you," I said, looking at Al for support, "wasn't necessarily a man. We think...it was a homunculus."

Granny and Winry looked confused, and I realized they probably didn't know what we were talking about. _I guess that's the downside of not telling them anything about what we do…_

Al nudged my arm, and I glanced at him to see his eye lights flicking frantically. Before I could react, Teacher was standing right in front of me. Her eyes burned, and she had to open and close her mouth several times before she was able to ask, "How?"

Al looked at me nervously, and I nodded. "It'll take a while to explain," I said quietly, "but we'll try to give you as much as we can."

Winry studied us, as if she had trouble deciding if we were actually going to tell her the truth for once. I returned her gaze, standing confidently as Al and I explained what had been happening over the last few months. They all listened intently as we linked the homunculi to the Philosopher's stone, the fifth laboratory, and most importantly…

"That's what Mr. Hughes was researching when he was killed?!" Winry's hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes went wide. "You're telling me that the same people who killed Hughes...they _planned_ on doing this to me?"

I grimaced, my fists clenching tightly as I tried to think of what to say. "...P...probably." I finally muttered, my shoulders slumping in defeat. "That's why we have to go as soon as possible. To them, you're just another target, a tool for warning us away." My face twisted with anger, and I snarled. "But they bit off more than they could chew this time! I swear, we will make them _pay_ for what they did to you, because to us, you aren't a warning. You're family!"

"We only wanted to protect you from our mission, Winry. Neither of us ever wanted you to get hurt because of it. That's why we never told you what we were doing when Ed and I returned to Resembool for repairs." Al spoke up, his voice shaking in marked contrast to the statuesque stillness of his metal body. "But now it's too late for us to apologize to you. The best we can do is avenge the pain you feel." I looked at him, seeing yet another glimpse of the real strength my little brother carried. "They won't get away with it! Not one single blow! We'll make them pay for every bruise they gave you! We'll hit them right back, a hundred times over!"

Winry smiled, but her eyes were sad. "You two…" she mumbled, her voice breaking. "I don't know what's worse. The fact that you're starting to sound like soldiers, or the fact that I feel like you still left something out…"

I flinched inwardly, knowing full well that we didn't tell her that the homunculi are nearly unkillable. But Teacher stared straight at me and nodded her approval. _The less she worries, the better,_ her eyes seemed to say.

I awkwardly laughed, and silently hoped that Granny didn't bring Winry's tool set to the hospital, because the last thing I needed was for Winry to throw her favorite wrench at my head for avoiding her accusation… which happened to be true. "You worry too much, Winry, you know that? Try to get some rest. We won't be gone for more than a few days, and besides... " I felt my cheeks flush a little, as I diverted my gaze to a nearby lamp. "You have Amber to keep you company while we're away."

I quickly looked to Al, who appeared to be shaking, as he attempted to hold in his laughter. I glared at him, knowing that familiar twinkle in his eye lights; he really wanted to say something, but chose not to, which could only mean I would have to put up with his teasing later. I groaned inwardly, realizing I was going to have to share a train ride with him to Rush Valley.

"Even now, you still have such stupid notions of how everyone else feels," Granny mumbled. "You aren't a cat, Ed. Al isn't either. Stop pretending that one cat will be enough to replace you both while you're away." She seemed to be speaking with more feeling behind it than usual, like our absence was hitting her just as hard. _And we left her alone for a lot longer than Winry..._

"Well, if I don't worry about you guys, who will?" Winry yawned. "It's my only job, besides fixing my precious automail that you always seem to break." She turned on her left side, curling up with her cat as she faced us.

I briefly smiled, unable to believe she could be so strong for us, while still being so hurt. "Come on, Al, let's go."

"Oh, by the way, both of you will come back in one piece, otherwise I'm going to be very unhappy with you!" Winry called after us.

I flinched, thinking briefly of the accuracy with which she was able to throw her tools.

"Make sure your cat drinks its stupid milk!" I teased.

"You're one to talk, Edward!" Winry shouted in return.

Al groaned as he shook his head. "Was that really necessary, brother?"

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. "I couldn't resist."

 ****FMAB****

After a long, arduous and annoying train ride, we arrived in Rush Valley to be greeted by Lieutenant Hawkeye at the station. "You're here earlier than we expected," she mused, and quickly turned around and began walking to a phone booth.

"Hey, wait a minute! If you weren't expecting us, then why are you waiting here for us?" I couldn't wrap my head around what reasons she would have for being here if she wasn't here to pick us up.

"That's simple. When it comes to Miss Rockbell, we never really know what to expect from you, so we prepare for anything." She didn't even turn her head as she said this.

"What the hell does that mean?!" I exclaimed. This time, she did turn slightly, and I noticed the hint of a smile on her face. My own face reddened, and I decided it would be best to not give her any more opportunities to make jabs at me. Her expression made it perfectly clear she was willing to take them if they presented themselves.

"Don't be offended, brother. After all, Mustang didn't know we would rejoin the manhunt so quickly," protested Al. "Honestly, even I thought we were going to be in Dublith for a few more days."

"The longer we spent in Dublith, the more time Envy would have had to get ready for us. Have you considered the fact that he might even know we're coming for him?"

"Well, when you put it that way, brother…" Al replied.

"Focus, you two. There's more important things to worry about." Hawkeye stopped in front of a phone and dialed the operator. "I'm looking to place a call at the local military outpost...Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye...Uncle-Sugar-Oliver-Eight-Zero-Zero...Colonel, the Elric brothers are here. They left two days before you had anticipated. Change your plans accordingly."

I was curious about what the Lieutenant meant by ' _change your plans accordingly.'_ Did Mustang plan to execute something without us knowing about it? I scowled, only for a moment, as my thoughts drifted back to Al kicking my ass for losing my trust in the Colonel and his men so quickly. They only made the one mistake, and they couldn't have prevented it from happening. I swiftly shook away my curiosity before it could get the better of me, and refocused on the task at hand: hunting down the homunculus bastard called Envy.

"Okay, Elrics. If you're ready, we can leave immediately. Your presence at the early stages might just be more help than disruption, hard to believe as that is." Hawkeye turned toward us and put a hand casually on her gun holster. "We'll need to move quickly and without drawing attention. Envy could be anywhere."

I nodded silently, ignoring her subtle taunt. She smiled a little wider. "You actually managed to control your short-fused temper this time. Good."

I gritted my teeth, and took a deep breath, not wanting to bite at Hawkeye's bait, just in case Envy was actually nearby.

"Wow brother, you're full of surprises after all, aren't you?" Al jested.

"Shut up, Al." I hissed through my clenched teeth.

"Good idea," he mumbled as Hawkeye glared at the both of us. The tiny smile had completely evaporated.

"You obviously misunderstand the definition of 'not drawing attention'." she observed, her voice monotone.

We fell into an exhausted slump, giving up all hope of freedom and dutifully following Lieutenant Hawkeye out of the train station.

* * *

 _ **Please visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	6. Chapter 6

**See disclaimer in Chapter One**

* * *

Colonel Mustang greeted Hawkeye as she stepped out of the car. When we followed her, his face went blank. He stared at me, daring me to speak. "Well?" His eyebrow raised. "Are you ready to cooperate with a failure like me?" A note of anger crept into his voice.

I sighed. "Look, as long as we catch Envy, I don't care who I'm stuck with." No way in hell am I going to out and apologize for anything, but I did need to let him know that I'm willing to start on a better footing this time.

He grunts, turning away and looking to Al. A small smile quirks into Mustang's face, and Al waves sheepishly. "Hello, Alphonse. Ready to kick an ass that isn't related to you?"

I could feel my eye twitch as I held back a snarky retort, trying to maintain what little remained of my calm exterior.

Al giggled. "Sure, Colonel. I can always use some exercise against an opponent I can't predict."

"I am not that predictable, Al!" I groaned, gritting my teeth.

"It's okay, brother. You do only have two limbs that won't break if they hit me. Your options are limited."

I raised my fist in an attempt to threaten my little brother into courtesy, but before I could say anything, Mustang waved a hand between us sharply. "Hold it, Fullmetal. You too, Al. We've got a transmission coming in from the scene."

He picked up a receiver that Sergeant Fury offered him, raising an eyebrow as the soldier on the other end began speaking immediately. "Huh?" Mustang's eyes narrow. "What do you mean, you're under attack?...Only one assailant?...What do palm trees have to do with this?!" The Colonel winced as the phone issued an explosive blast of sound that I could hear from over five feet away.

"What was that?!" Al looked at me, then back at Mustang, who was trying not to crush the receiver he was holding.

"That was the sound of that damn homunculus attacking my men!" Mustang slammed the phone onto its hook, causing Fury to stumble back as he whirled around to face Hawkeye. "Lieutenant! Take the Elric brothers to the car. I'll follow as soon as I nail down their location." Turning back to Fury, he barked an order that was barely intelligible through the anger in his voice.

Sergeant Fury saluted and gave the Colonel a street name. He stormed towards the car, gesturing to me and Al. "Why aren't you in the car already?!"

"Er, s-sorry sir!" Al stuttered. I just shook my head and climbed into the large automobile. Al squeezed in next to me, hunching his metal body in order to fit into the back seat. Hawkeye took the wheel, and the Colonel jumped into the passenger seat, pulling on two of his ignition gloves.

"Do you have the briefcase? They might try dumping water on me, knowing these inhuman assholes." Hawkeye nodded, and the Colonel grinned smugly.

"Yeah, Mustang, because having extra sets of gloves is going to stop Envy in his tracks." I sighed, shaking my head. "He's too smart to let himself get caught anywhere near you. The only reason he'd even think of it is if he wanted to torment you about something before he killed you."

Hawkeye glowered at both Mustang and I before turning to face the road ahead once again. Once we were clear of civilian traffic, she put the pedal to the metal, driving all three of us back into our seats as we shot past the remnants of the barricade the military police had set up. Al stared at the destruction. "That looks like them, alright," he commented glumly. Huge gaping trenches had been taken out of the ground and surrounding buildings, and hands, feet, and guns were lying haphazardly near them.

"I swear we're gonna give Envy exactly what's coming to him." I said grimly. _I'm glad we were able to convince Winry to stay behind. I don't think she'd be able to handle this for long._ Even I was barely able to keep myself from growing sick at the grisly reminder of our enemies' power.

"I'm with you on that, Fullmetal," Mustang grunted. "I don't care how superior they think they are, nobody messes around with my troops without dealing with me."

Hawkeye brought the car to a skidding halt, and we filed out into the town square to see the homunculus Envy waiting for us, sitting on a pile of dead soldiers. "Sorry for the mess, Sparky, but they got in my way." Colonel Mustang bristled.

"You're playing a dangerous game, homunculus. Surrender now and I won't kill you as painfully as I did your busty sibling." He held out his hands, fingers at the ready. The transmutation circles sewn into the backs of his gloves glowed slightly.

"Be careful, Mustang. Gluttony is still itching to know what you taste like."

"Enough with the chitchat!" I shout. "You know why we're here, Envy!"

Envy's narrow face lit up as his imperious gaze fell on me. "Oh, hey there, pipsqueak! Almost didn't see you there." His malicious grin widened. "I knew I needed a better magnifying glass!"

"Shut your damned mouth, palm tree!" I snarled. "You had better tell us what your game is before we pummel you into the ground and roast the stain you leave! Were you the one who attacked Winry?" The grind of metal scraped across my ears as my right fist clenched.

The homunculus tapped his chin, a mocking grin flicking across his face as he leaned back in his grisly throne. "Can't say I remember one way or the other, pipsqueak. Maybe you could jog my memory?" He suddenly snapped forward, staring me right in the eyes. "She was the one I beat with a bat, right? Over and over and over? You know, I was honestly surprised at how loud she screamed. Even with _three broken ribs_ , she could really howl!" His eyes flashed red as the manic smile grew wider. "If I remember correctly, your name popped up around five or six times! Ahahahahaha! Oh, and don't get me _started_ on her stamina! It took about ten minutes for her to stop struggling! I always liked my girls to have a bit of fight in them, but damn!"

"I knew you were sick, Envy," Alphonse shouted, "but this is low even for you!" His voice trembled, and I could see his fists shaking with strain.

"Low?" Envy's face fell into a grim frown. "I'll show you low, tin man. Just look at your failure of a military, who couldn't catch me even when I was right in front of them! To think that it took two kids playing hero to figure out that I was even involved at all! What a joke!" He stood, red light flashing across his features as he changed shape. The man standing on the pile of corpses was now a tan-skinned hulk, burly and cruel as the scar on his lip. "I always did like this face. Intimidating and easy to recognize, which of course means that even a small change would keep me from any recognition at all!" More red light crackled as his body narrowed, becoming leaner and shorter as the face smoothed out. "No police detail could have possibly cornered _me_. Really, you're just lucky I felt generous that day."

"Like hell! Was it generosity that made you leave her in that alley?"

"No, but it was generosity that made me get her out of it!" He changed again, the rough-and-tough look warping into a tailored suit, his face becoming soft and kindly before his sick grin returned. "What do you think would have happened if I hadn't called the ambulance, after all?"

I reeled backward in shock as Al struggled to express his anger. "You...You attacked her...and then called for help? A half an hour later?!"

"I never said anything about the generosity being immediate."

" _You bastard_!" I screamed. "What gives you the right to play around with her life like she's some kind of toy?!"

"Well, simple! I'm just better. After all, she was unconscious. It's not like she could have done anything to stop me. She was nothing more than a broken doll to me."

I clapped my hands together, slamming them into the ground in front of me. A huge pillar of stone was drawn out of the street beneath me, making another crater as I used up mass. The column launched itself at Envy, but flew past him as he leapt over it. He danced along the rock, laughing as he slammed his foot down through it, sending the column toppling and himself flying into the air. His body stretched out, sprouting extra limbs and a mane of screaming faces until he landed in front of us in his true form, the giant lizard-like creature that crushed the street in front of me and Al. We were sent flying, barely able to avoid slamming into Hawkeye and Mustang, who had managed to stay standing. Envy jumped over us, shrinking back into his humanoid shape and giggling. "Catch me if your little legs can catch up with me, Fullmetal pipsqueak!" he howled as he took off into an alleyway with Hawkeye and Mustang tailing him.

Wasting no time, Al and I scrambled to our feet and joined the chase. We followed the sound of Envy's hysterical laughter, rushing around corners and spotting quick glimpses of Lieutenant Hawkeye's back as she followed Mustang, looking for other homunculi. _There were weird dents in the street, most likely made by Gluttony's weird mouth powers. She must be looking for him!_

" _NOW_!" I heard Envy shriek, and we turned to our left to see Colonel Mustang aiming directly at Envy's back. Hawkeye's attention was focused entirely on the wooden bucket of oil that had just been dropped from a rooftop, falling directly over Mustang's head. I looked up to the right, and saw Gluttony retreating from view.

"Colonel, look out!" I shouted, but before I could finish, his fingers snapped. The oil fell, ignited by the explosive alchemy, and Envy leapt through a nearby window as Colonel Mustang was set ablaze.

We rushed to Mustang's aid, but Hawkeye was there, throwing her coat over the Flame Alchemist, extinguishing the fire as fast as she could. Mustang coughed. "What took you so long, Fullmetal?" he grunted, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"Sir, don't speak. You might inhale more smoke!" Hawkeye hastily instructed.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you weren't the one knocked down by a green scaly bastard, Mustang."

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, did you see which way Envy went?" I heard Al ask.

I redirected my gaze to Hawkeye, who silently pointed left, at the faded red brick wall. Without hesitation, I used alchemy to tear it down. "Come on Al," I stalked angrily over the shattered boundary of the wall. "We have a score to settle."

 ****FMAB****

"Envy! Where are you, you freakish coward? Stop hiding like a wuss and fight!" I yelled.

"Over here, you vertically challenged moron," Envy drawled lazily, stepping out of the shadows. "Honestly, I don't know what that Winry bitch could have seen in you. You're scrawny, stupid, and you shout like a small dog who hasn't gotten enough attention!"

Al rushed forward, leaping into the air and lashing out with a steel foot. "Don't talk about her! You don't _deserve_ to say her name!"

Envy lifted his arm, throwing it out at a ninety degree angle. His forearm pushed against Al's kick, stopping most of the blow. Al followed through as best he could, knocking Envy to the side through the aggressive block. The homunculus retaliated with a brute swing at Al's leg, moving faster than either me or Al had anticipated. The sucker punch took off the leg at Al's kneecap, the chunk of steel armor bouncing off one of the old building's crumbling walls. It clanged, and the wall started to crack. "Try kicking me now, can-head! Hahaha!"

"Alphonse!" I shouted, but I was too late. My brother toppled backwards, crashing into the already damaged wall. The whole area collapsed, walls and ceiling falling onto him as Envy cartwheeled out of the way, still giggling in that annoying voice of his.

A single metal hand burst from the rubble. "I'm still okay, brother!" I smiled grimly, turning to face Envy.

"It'll take more than a bunch of bricks to bring us down!" I shouted. "Now get ready for a broken jaw! I'm gonna knock you into the sky!" I clapped my hands together, placing them at my feet. The floor buckled, hurling itself forward like a wave on water. I jumped off of the moving pile of stone and mortar, spinning my body on a tilted axis as I tensed my right arm. I caught sight of Envy's startled face and brought my fist out towards it, slamming my automail knuckles into Envy's chin with punishing force. I heard a crackling noise, and watched in horror as red light streaked away from my fist and left Winry's bruised face in its wake. She fell to the ground, stunned.

"Why, Ed?!" she wailed, her eyes welling up as she tried to scramble away from me on all fours. "I thought you would protect me!"

I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach, and my mouth went completely dry. I stumbled backward, sweat beading on my forehead. "N-no! You're not her! You can't be Winry!"

Her frightened blue eyes hardened, and a huge green claw lashed out from the end of her slender arm, swiping directly at my throat. I closed my eyes, certain I was going to die. _I can't bear to look at this..._ _ **perversion**_ _of her_ …

 _ **KRAKOOM!**_ A thunderous crash and grind assailed my ears, accompanied by what felt like an earthquake. I fell backward, thrown to the ground by the shockwave, and looked in amazement at the chaos in front of me.

" **Behold!** " shouted a familiar voice, "this is the great Statuary Technique that has been passed down the Armstrong family for _generations!_ "

"Major Armstrong?!" Al exclaimed, his helmet poking through the rubble that had suddenly shifted and sunk around his body.

"Indeed, young Alphonse! It is I, Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist in the flesh!" The shining scalp of the Major was adorned with a large bandage, still left over from his conversation with Teacher.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" I yelled, only to be struck dumb by what I saw.

He had made a gigantic statue of himself, arms raised and curled in front of him as if he was lifting weights. Between the statue's clenched fists dangled Envy, wriggling in pain and frustration. His Winry disguise had vanished, and he struggled to regenerate the arms that Armstrong's statue had crushed and dislocated.

I saw a small crack forming on one of the statue's fingers, and I quickly reacted, slamming my hands together before striking out at the statue restraining the homunculus. It sparked with transmutive energy, and the rough brick and stone became solid iron.

"Well done, Edward Elric!" the Major shouted gleefully. "Quickly, mend your brother! The other homunculus was following me here, I'm afraid!"

I rushed to Al's side, hastily digging him out of the pile of rubble. He clapped his armored hands together, turning the stone and brick surrounding him to sand. I reached into the dune and pulled his broken leg to the surface. Grabbing the other half of his leg from a few feet away, I carefully placed the two sections of armor together before transmuting Al's body and reuniting the broken parts.

"Thanks for that, brother," Al muttered, and stood up. He glanced towards the statue, his eye lights widening. "Hey!" he shouted angrily.

I turned around to see Envy squirming through the iron grip of the false Armstrong. "Bastard!" I spat. I immediately transmuted the ground, the sparking blue energy traveling like a current towards the statue. The homunculus cried out in extreme pain as the spikes I had launched from the floor penetrated his pale hands, which stopped him cold in his tracks.

"You can't get away that easily, Envy!" I snarled.

The green-haired homunculus smiled an evil twisted grin. "It was worth a try, pipsqueak. I certainly didn't count on that oversized kewpie doll crashing the party and saving _your_ pitiful ass."

"Why you-!"

"Envy, can I eat them now?" a familiar, childish voice asked.

Envy huffed a sigh of annoyance. "For the last time, Gluttony, no you can't."

"I can still attack them, right?" Gluttony questioned.

"Yes, you moron! But first get me out of this statue!" Envy shouted.

"Okay!" Gluttony rushed towards the statue with incredible speed, despite his size.

Just as Gluttony was about a foot away from the false iron Armstrong, Al intercepted him, knocking the fat homunculus off balance. "I'll deal with Gluttony, brother! Finish off Envy!" he called, driving Gluttony away from the statue.

"I shall assist you, young Alphonse!" The Major exclaimed, and joined my brother in the fight against the enormous opponent.

I turned my attention back to Envy, and smirked at the homunculus' helpless state. "Let's test _your_ stamina, bastard."

Envy squirmed, his face finally starting to show signs of fear.

"You think…" My voice escaped my throat as a guttural snarl. "You think that you can manipulate me, manipulate my actions, by torturing my family? You've got something else coming, you snivelling freak." My automail hand clanged into a fist, and I stared directly into the homunculus' eyes as I transmuted a huge spike out of the statue's chest. Envy's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open as the spine grew slowly into the small of his back. It pushed him forward, stretching out his arms before finally tearing through his nigh-immortal body. He screamed, and I maintained my stone-faced glare.

"You think that hurts, don't you? You think you're hurting? You don't know hurting." I created another, smaller spike, this one driving quickly through his left side.

"You calculated every move you made, didn't you? You made sure that everything you did had the greatest possible impact when you attacked her that day." Another iron spike punched a hole through his right shoulder.

"You beat her into submission, nearly _killed_ her, and then you thought, 'That isn't enough. I haven't caused enough pain yet.' So you violated her! You caused more pain than you could have possibly put into your sick little plan. This twisted game you love so much to play ends. Now." I slowly put my hands together, thick streams of lightning tearing through the air as I began another transmutation.

"This is for _her_. The one you beat, and bullied, and assaulted, and left to bleed and cry. We made a promise to her, Envy. We promised we would make you pay for everything you did, make you pay a hundred times over. _And I_ _ **will**_ _keep that promise!_ " I slammed my hands into the statue's base, metal ringing on metal as my right hand collided with the iron of the structure I intended to use as fuel.

Energy surged, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A flash of harsh blue-white light nearly blinded me, but I kept my eyes focused on my automail arm, knowing that until I acted, Winry would never feel safe again. A chilling scream echoed around the ruined room as I put all my will into one decisive strike.

When the dust cleared, I blinked back the spots in front of my eyes. The statue of Armstrong was gone, replaced by a warped wall of iron, littered with spines, quills and spears of metal all converging on a central figure, gurgling horribly and dripping inhuman blood. Envy was skewered through in every place I could have imagined, his body still managing to twitch. I shuddered, and turned away. The sight of Envy's mangled form almost made me sick to my stomach.

 _I did that._

 _ **I**_ _did_ _ **that**_ _._

I stared at my hands, watching the shifting light strike my automail. I felt a sense of dread rise in my throat, constricting my breath. _This was hers. She made this for me, and I just used it for...this. This_ _ **nightmare**_ _._ I closed my eyes. I fought the terror threatening to overwhelm me. I tried to break through the knot of guilt that seemed to shoot like a chill through my metal arm, and I noticed that I was shaking uncontrollably.

I pictured her face in my mind, watched it contort with utter terror at what I had done. _This went too far. I did this for her, to kill the monster under her bed. But now...I might've become just as terrifying._

A thunderous crash came from the wall to my right, alerting me to the huge suit of armor that had come flying through the bricks. "Al?!" I shouted, watching him sail past me and into the partially decimated left wall.

"Damn it! Not _again!_ " he fumed, struggling to escape the fresh collapse of wall and ceiling caused by his catastrophic collision. I gaped at the huge chunks missing from his arms and sides, looking like Gluttony had literally bitten through them without using his more dangerous ability.

I heard a large thud against the wall Al had come through, and suddenly the Major was forced through the remainder of the wall. He dove backwards, allowing what was left of the ceiling to crash down on top of the pursuing homunculus. Gluttony erupted from the stone and dust, regenerating his mangled head and shoulders as his bleeding eyes stared in despair at what I had done to his brother.

 _He must be feeling about the same as I am right now._

 _We are in_ _ **so**_ _much trouble._

Red light crackled, and Gluttony charged headlong at me, his monstrous teeth from the gaping hole that had opened in his stomach launching him forward like a pudgy cannonball. His other set of jaws opened up, spreading impossibly wide underneath beady eyes that burned with hatred. I pushed off to the side with my automail left leg, darting to the right just in time to avoid the freak's jaws clamping around my face. I had barely gotten two feet before I felt a sharp tug on my coat, and before I knew it I was being dragged ever closer to the homunculus' disgusting gut-mouth.

A sharp jerk of Gluttony's head sent me tumbling painfully to the side, only to be halted by an even stronger tug in the opposite direction. I was thrown once again through the air, landing with a distinct thudding clank as metal and flesh collided at once with the fractured ground. The next vicious toss of Gluttony's head sent me flying, and my coat ripped off of my shoulders, turning my horizontal flight into a disastrous tailspin.

I collided with a wall of muscle instead of brick, and I looked up dazedly to see Major Armstrong clamping his huge arms around my torso, suspending me in the air. His eyes widened, and he grunted as he was forced to stumble backwards from the force of my impact. "Now, young Alphonse!" he yelled dramatically, and the rapid clank and grind of metal preceded a heavy, crunching smack. Gluttony staggered next to us as the Major put me down on the ground, and I saw a huge bloody dent in the homunculus' skull in the rough shape of Al's heel.

"Thanks for your help, Major, but we can take this creep on by ourselves from here on out!" I grinned evilly, and Armstrong's eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead. "All we need you to do is keep him busy while we get into position. After we figured out he was involved, we started figuring out ways to bring him down faster."

Armstrong nodded, hefting handfuls of rubble into the air and pounding them repeatedly with his fists, transmuting the lumps of rock into fat iron spikes that drove themselves mercilessly at Gluttony's face.

I glanced up to Al, whose eye lights were shining intently at me. "Let's go, Al! Delta plan!"

He nodded, and we leapt into action, beginning the sequence of maneuvers we had figured out over the last few weeks. We clapped our hands together in unison, pounding them against the ground and raising two huge clamps up from the floor to squash Gluttony's arms and legs into place like Armstrong had done for Envy. Al jumped to the side as Gluttony opened his gut-mouth, dodging the fatal blast of strange energy.

I ran behind him, bringing my arm-sword into being as I crawled onto the back of the fat homunculus. Bringing my automail arm back in a wide arc, I hacked quickly and decisively into Gluttony's head, shoving the sword through his skull. The point emerged on the other side of his head, right in between his eyes. Yanking the blade out forcefully, I tumbled off his back, flipping _almost_ gracefully through the air before landing in a crouch, my left hand on the ground in front of me to steady myself as I slid backwards, my shoes kicking up small puffs of dust.

Al and I locked eyes again and nodded to each other. Simultaneously, we clapped, beginning our transmutations. Al leapt into a forward roll, planting his hands on the ground and somersaulting out of the way as a huge fist erupted violently from the ground where he had been. I plant my own hands at my feet, creating another giant stone arm underneath me. The two massive fists rocketed toward each other, and I jumped off of mine at the last second, soaring over both of them as they collided with a thunderous impact, mashing Gluttony's upper body between them like a hammer and anvil. Al held up his hands in the air in front of him, and I pushed off of them with my feet, stopping myself from falling into the huge piles of rubble that had accumulated just behind him. Turning to look at our handiwork, we saw Gluttony's body twitching spastically as it desperately attempted to reassemble inside the small space.

We walked confidently up to Major Armstrong, victory swelling our spirits. He blinked, seemingly unable to form commentary for the first time in his life. "We had it under control. See?" Al pointed his thumb back at the struggling homunculus, his eye lights twinkling. I went to give him a high five.

 _ **KERRZAKK!**_

All three of us gaped in shock as my automail arm went almost totally limp, hanging at an awkward angle as my shoulder strained to keep the rest of the dangling prosthetic aloft. A sudden buzz ricocheted off every bone in my body, and I felt my tightly braided hair rise into the air from the static. Small bolts of electricity jumped from my arm to Al, who simply shook his head despondently.

"Winry's gonna _kill_ you," he moaned.

"Not before I kick your hollow tin ass!" I shouted. "What the hell did you do to get so busted up? You're faster than that fat freak any day!"

"I think you should be glad the both of you didn't get buried alive in all of this wreckage," interjected a rather grouchy voice. I whirled to see Colonel Mustang, almost covered in bandages, advancing slowly over the shifting masses of rubble, Lieutenant Hawkeye hovering protectively behind him. Falman, Breda and Fury followed their leader up the slope, shaking their heads and smiling.

"What a show, eh?" Breda said, nudging Falman in the ribs. "These two kids sure know how to kick ass." He took a bite of a submarine sandwich, still smiling and nodding as Falman and Fury put their hands to their foreheads.

The Colonel spoke again, pain worming its way into his voice against his will. "Major. Good to see you here on time. I was worried your car wouldn't be able to fit in some of the narrower back alleys."

Armstrong's moustache curved upward, denoting his hidden smile. "They hardly needed me, sir."

"That's not _entirely_ true…" Al piped up, but the Colonel waved a hand before he could explain further.

"To be honest, I don't care what the Major did at the moment. I'm much more grateful that you contained the fight to this abandoned apartment building."

I looked around. "This is an apartment building?"

Al chimed in, asking jokingly, "It was abandoned?"

Lieutenant Hawkeye rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation. "Just give us a rundown, Ed."

I looked to Lieutenant Hawkeye, then to Colonel Mustang and between the two once more. I sighed. "I kicked Envy's ass, then Al and I defeated Gluttony together. And my automail arm is fried."

Lieutenant Hawkeye looked at me with an amused glint in her eye, before it quickly disappeared. Colonel Mustang, on the other hand, was disappointed. He stiffly sighed. "I expected a better report from you, Fullmetal. Well, at least I will once you return from visiting Miss Rockbell."

I resisted the urge to glare at Lieutenant Hawkeye and barely caught the end of what Mustang had said. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get you the full report as soon as I can."

"Let's head back to Dublith quickly, brother!" Al said.

I turned to look at Al, and smiled. "Yeah, Al. I bet Winry is getting tired of only having a cat to talk to." I walked forward, heading towards the car. "Come on Mustang, we have a train to catch."

"Thanks for your help, Major Armstrong!" Al yelled as he squished himself in the backseat next to me.

I looked out the window to see Major Armstrong happily waving at us, yet I swore I saw something within the remaining statue rubble move. _It's been a long day, I must be imagining things… besides, I annihilated that green haired bastard._ I glanced to the side of it, and saw a huge hunk of Al's stone fist missing. "Hey! Gluttony's gone!"

Al squirmed in the car until he could look outside to see the half-eaten stone fist. "At least he didn't swallow us this time, brother."

I was annoyed at Al's optimism, but also grateful that Gluttony chose to make a tactical retreat. _If taking down homunculi is this exhausting, we had better buckle down for the long haul, because I'm sure the rest of them will be just as difficult to defeat as their former siblings._

* * *

 _ **Please leave a review and visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**See disclaimer in Chapter One**_

* * *

It was a long walk from the train station to the house in Resembool. The dry summer dust from the road swirled around our feet in the light breeze as Al and I made our way to the Rockbell house. "Good thing Teacher let us know when she did. Otherwise we might have walked in on someone else in Winry's room." Al mused.

I shook my head. "You have the strangest kind of positivity sometimes, you know that? But I agree with you this time." Teacher had intercepted us at the hospital to tell us that Winry had been discharged and had headed back to Resembool only four hours before we had arrived. We stayed the night in the Curtis house, waiting until morning to catch the first train out to our hometown. The late afternoon sun shone down on us, casting our shadows far behind us as we walked.

"Have you figured out how to break the news to Winry?" Al asked curiously. "You know, about your arm?" I felt a chill sweep over me as I shook my head despondently. I had spent almost the whole train ride thinking of something to say to lessen the shock, but I couldn't manage to get anything that didn't sound like an excuse.

I watched it dangle at my side, only budging when I put all my concentration on lifting my shoulder. It shifted about three inches outward, the lower arm and hand still flopping as my upper arm shook with the effort. I eventually gave up, sighing in defeat. Whatever damaged the automail's artificial nerves, it certainly must have been pretty big. _Wait a minute…_ I glanced at Al. "Hey, did you see any of the transmutation I did to take out Envy?"

He laughed. "How could I not? The light from the reaction almost blinded us through the cracks in the walls! Even Major Armstrong couldn't believe it. You must have put all of your energy into _that_ one." I stared into the distance, my face reddening at the blatant compliment.

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't say _all_ of my energy…" I thought about how quickly my anger dissipated after that attack, and began to wonder just how big a part those feelings must have played in the transmutation. "Only around fifty percent...ish."

Al glanced at me quizzically. "If that was fifty percent, where did the _other seventy five_ come from? You weren't that tired after the battle, and you even fought another homunculus immediately. It doesn't add up, brother. You should have collapsed."

I hesitated, not sure I was willing or even able to explain. As we approached the front steps of the Rockbell house, the faded green door opened, and Gracia Hughes walked out with little Elicia in her arms. "Mommy, is she really all better? Is she?" The toddler was tugging on her mother's short-sleeved dress, staring back at the house with wide eyes.

The patient mother smiled, saying lightly, "No, not yet, but she's getting there, sweetie. Don't you worry, she'll be all ready to play the very next time we see her." Elicia let out a loud burst of cheerful laughter, turning forward and noticing us.

"Hello, big brother!" she said waving to Al. She turned to me as I tried not to scowl. "Hello, little brother!" she giggled.

My eye twitched as I put on a fake smile, forcing the enraged shouting I desperately wanted to unleash back into my throat before it got loose. "Hi there, Elicia," I grumbled instead.

"Hiya, Elicia!" Al bubbled. "Have you gotten bigger _again_? If only my brother would follow your example." He looked at Gracia, his mood sobering. "Hello, Mrs. Hughes. How are you?"

"It's nice to see you boys, but don't you think there are more important people to talk to?" She nudged her head back toward the house where Granny stood at the doorway.

Al waved goodbye to the Hughes family as I stared Granny Rockbell down. "You busted it up again, didn't you?" she asked, shaking her head as if she already knew the answer. Her gaze wandered upward as Al approached behind me. Her long, thin eyebrow rose higher than I'd ever seen it go, and she actually hesitated before asking, "What in the blazes happened to you two scoundrels?"

Al sheepishly rubbed the back of his plated neck with the crumpled remainder of his own right arm. "We, uh...we found the one who hurt Winry."

Her eyes softened, and she stepped aside. "You'd better give me a bigger explanation later, you hear?"

"Sure thing, Granny," I mutter, almost by reflex. "Where is Winry, anyway?"

The old lady chuckled. "Where else would she be? She hasn't touched her tools for more than a month."

I shook my head, a knowing smile spreading across my face. "Workshop?"

Al nodded. "Workshop."

 ****FMAB****

As we approached the doorway to Winry's workshop, we heard… something slightly concerning from within.

A clang of metal repeatedly echoed out of the room as Winry hit something; most likely, it was one of her less graceful automail designs. "That crazy, hard-headed, reckless, stubborn little idiot! Running around doing God knows what, God knows where, constantly trying to do everything at once! 'I'm a dog of the military,' he says, 'I need to find a way to get our bodies back,' he says, but does he ever say _see you later_? How about _we promise we won't die_? Honestly, sometimes I need the reassurance." The crashing and chaos continued, and Al and I flinched out of compassion for her poor tools.

"Don't even get me started on the way he influences Al! I swear to God, even though Alphonse didn't become a state alchemist, it doesn't mean that he isn't becoming a soldier like his older idiot brother. Do you understand me, Amber? Sometimes, these boys drive me _crazy_!"

Carefully, I opened the door, not wanting to startle her. The last thing I needed was a wrench to the face before she even noticed my arm. "Uh," I mumble awkwardly, "H-hi, Winry."

I felt something slam into my leg, and saw a orange and white furball zipping past us out of the corner of my eye. "Bye, Amber!" Al said, and waved at the cat. _At least Amber knows which direction to run… that's one smart cat. Maybe I should let Al get one after all…_

Seconds later, a blonde-haired blur smashed into Al and I, tackling us to the floor in a huge hug. "You guys came back! You're safe!" Winry exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess we are, Winry," I replied. I silently begged for a random burst of inattention. _Please don't notice, please don't notice..._

"...Ed?" Winry roughly pushed off of Al, and stood tall, looming at her maximum height. I instantly cringed, knowing exactly what was coming next. "What the _hell_ did you do to my _automail?!_ "

The chromium-plated wrench glinted menacingly as she brought it back behind her, a vein pulsing angrily in her forehead. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact, the burst of cold pain, the spots in my vision. But...none of it happened. I slowly cracked one eye open to see Winry holding the wrench just above her right shoulder, staring at me as I slowly unfurled from the floor. Her eyes seemed to look through me, clouded and sad. She sighed, dropping the wrench down to her side. "I still want to know what you did to it," she muttered quietly. Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I was so worried you'd come back hurt, if at all, and now… here you both are. Hurt."

I shook my head, still confused. "Who are you, and what have you done to my wrench-hurling friend?" I joked, and saw a faint smile flicker over her face before being replaced by the same melancholy mask. A bit discouraged at the lack of reaction, I decided to try and sugarcoat the matter. "If you've gotta know, I think I burned it out from too much alchemy at once. It still moves, but only the upper arm."

"You should have seen it, Winry. It was huge! And he took on Envy all by himself!" I winced, and glared at my brother as his embellishment made Winry's face go ghost pale.

"Ed…" She trailed off, and looked me directly in the eye. "Didn't you say that the homunculi are extremely dangerous? Didn't you say that you and Al _together_ had trouble fighting just one and getting out alive?"

Panako cleared her throat, dispelling the tension from the room. I was grateful for her excellent timing. "I just wanted to let all of you know that the stew is ready." She exited the room heading back downstairs to the kitchen.

Al slumped. "Granny's stew is still on my list of things to eat once I get my body back," he said, as he gloomily made his way downstairs. I attempted to quickly follow Al, in an effort to avoid Winry's glare. However, just before my foot entered the doorway, she cut me off, blocking the exit from her workshop.

"Don't think that this is over, Edward," she whispered harshly.

"I never said it was," I replied, and allowed her to go first. As I watched Winry descend after my brother, I shuddered at the thought of trying to explain what I had done for her sake. _What will she think of me, if I do?_

 ****FMAB****

As we cleared the table after dinner, Winry glared at Al's heavily damaged armor. "I couldn't help but notice that you aren't exactly in pristine shape yourself, Al. Just what kind of fight did you two have to go through to get ahead of that homunculus thing?"

He shrugged, saying, "It was tough, but it didn't last long. We immobilized them both fairly quickly."

Winry stopped in her tracks, almost dropping her plate. "...Both?" Al stiffened in surprise, and began to back slowly away. "I thought you were only up against one of those things. You fought _two_ of them?"

"It's not like we wanted to!" I stepped in, concerned for my little brother's safety. "The other one followed us and tried to set the one who attacked you loose! We had no choice but to fight!"

Al gestured to his functional limbs, saying nervously, "At least it's not as bad as the first time we fought Scar! I still have everything attached!"

Winry scowled. "You're missing huge chunks of yourself. How can you say that everything's attached?"

"Well...the other bits are...kinda swallowed. Like, well...the homunculus ate them."

Winry stalked off, muttering angrily under her breath. The dishes clattered, and she shouted from the kitchen, "Where is Amber?! I need to vent!"

Panako pointed an idle thumb out the doorway. "Last I saw, Den was chasing her out in the field. She ran downstairs like she was shot out of a gun, and it startled the old boy."

"No! Poor Amber!" Al wailed, his arms waving frantically near his face.

I took a long sideways glance at my brother's emotional breakdown. _On second thought, letting him get a cat of his own would be a_ _**huge**_ _mistake..._

I felt a tug on my left arm, and a pang of discomfort passed up my wrist as Winry's hand clamped down on it. "You need to be fixed right away so you can mend Al. I will _not_ have him chasing my cat while covered in bite marks."

She dragged me forcibly upstairs, and I had to work pretty hard for most of the way just to keep myself from falling over, on top of everything else.

I looked to Al for a chance at rescue, but he was too busy staring hopefully out the window for signs of Amber or Den. _Yep. A mistake of epic proportions_.

The dragging suddenly stopped, and I looked up to find myself sitting in the doorway leading to Winry's workshop. I moved my gaze to Winry, who glared, and imperiously pointed in the direction of her work bench. "Go. Sit," she commanded.

I wasted no time after hearing her authoritative command, and quickly entered her workshop, choosing to avoid voicing a comeback that would undoubtedly get me in more trouble than I'm already in. _And I didn't even know that was possible,_ I thought. My gaze shifted to Winry, who was gathering the automail supplies from her other work table so that she could make the necessary repairs to my arm.

Al trudged through the doorway, and crossed the room to stand next to me. He shook his head despondently. "There's no sign of either of them…" He sounded pretty upset about it.

"Don't worry, Al." Winry said as she carefully disconnected her automail from my unworthy body. "Once I fix your brother, he will mend you so that you can go cat hunting without scaring the neighbors." She sounded more cheerful than she looked. _I wonder if she's still upset that we didn't fully explain to her what exactly happened when we went up against the homunculi…_

I took a deep breath. Despite not wanting to readdress the topic of Envy and Gluttony, I felt that Winry needed to hear it. If she didn't know the truth, how could she be expected to trust us?

Winry began unthreading the long cable that ran through the frazzled prosthetic as I began to rock back and forth on the bench. "So… the two homunculi." Winry paused, her back and shoulders stiffening. Her head turned slightly over her left shoulder, so she could look at me out of the corner of her eye, but she said nothing. I cleared my throat, and tried to cover what Al and I had intentionally skipped last time. _Maybe she'll show mercy with the wrench again. Who knows?_ "The two that attacked us were called Envy and Gluttony. Envy was the one who went after you, and Gluttony was there as Envy's backup." I sighed, knowing that wrench or no wrench, this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. "The thing is, Winry, the reason Al and I

are so beat up...it's because… homunculi can regenerate their wounds. While we were fighting them, they were always recovering from our last attack."

I somehow mustered up the courage to move my nervous gaze from my kicking feet to Winry. She looked at us dumbfoundedly, and a look of fear and panic flashed across her face before it quickly disappeared. She remained speechless, and the room was cloaked with a heavy feeling of shock and unease. "You...you did beat them, right? They won't be chasing after any of us anymore?"

I shrugged. "As far as we know, I managed to kill Envy, but Gluttony got away." Al glanced at me, eye lights flashing slightly. He wanted to say something, I could tell. I continued regardless, not wanting him to reveal more than he needed to yet again. "They didn't fall down easy, obviously. I had to use a lot of power to keep Envy out of commission, and the only reason I did it alone was because Al and Major Armstrong were keeping Gluttony busy."

Al nodded, interjecting. "Which is what caused all this damage. He's pretty fast despite how fat he is, and I was trying to fight him and keep track of how you were doing at the same time, brother. It was pretty difficult."

Winry sighed. "So you were fighting them both at once? And only had help from _one_ other alchemist?" I nodded, and she shook her head in exasperation, retrieving some more cable from a cardboard box in the corner of the room before returning to my arm. She picked up the chromium-plated wrench, preparing to loosen the joints and reinsert the artificial nerves before a thought occurred to her.

"Ed...do you know why I didn't hit you for breaking my automail this time?" I shook my head, and Al and I both stared awkwardly at the wrench, waiting for it to fly suddenly across the room and take me by surprise. Winry just turned around, still fiddling with the tightness of some screws near the shoulder. "It was because of your reaction. The way you looked when I was about to throw the wrench, the way I always did...I saw myself. The way I had felt before Envy started beating me. You were cringing, but you seemed to expect it, like it was normal to be this scared of _me_...I suddenly realized that what Envy did to _me_ at first, I had been doing to you for _years_. I couldn't take the guilt. I-I didn't even want to think about it." Her eyes welled up, and she barely managed to keep from breaking down all over again, after all the time she'd had to recover from everything. I forced myself to look at her, made myself see just how much Envy's actions still affected her, no matter how normal she appeared. "Ed… I'm so, so sorry!"

I gritted my teeth, almost laughing despite how humorless I felt. "Winry, I can't say that I've particularly enjoyed getting whacked every other time I see you, but that doesn't give you the right to compare yourself with that inhuman monster. Do you hear me?" She nodded, her gaze locked to the floor. "Look at me, Winry. Please." My voice started to break as she blinked back her tears and bravely looked into my eyes. "You have no right to think of yourself as anything less than how Al and I see you, and how you should see yourself. Winry, you're so much more than the one who threw wrenches at my head. You're the one who picked up the wrench in the first place, who gave me my arm and leg and cared enough about me to protect and take care of them for me. You've always been there for us, even when we couldn't be there for you, and you do everything out of care for other people. You...you are so much more. Winry, you are better than anything Envy could hope to even mimic." I was thrown sharply against the back of the lightly cushioned bench as Winry crushed me in a tight hug. I reached over and put my left hand on her back, patting her shoulder gently and trying to calm her down.

A huge jolt of pain buzzed through me as Winry reconnected my arm. "Gaaah! Aw, come on, why did you have to do it without warning me?"

She sat down next to me, wiping tears from her eyes that were all too real. "I had to pay you back somehow from breaking your promise."

"What do you mean, Winry?" Al asked.

"You promised that you wouldn't make me cry again. But I can't help it, not after all of this." She smiled, her mouth still wobbling slightly. "I owe you a surprise or two for all the ones I've had to endure from you both."

I blinked, thinking about what had happened. _After everything she's been through, all the crying and hurting she's been put through, she can still smile at me. I guess... I should take my own advice here. She doesn't see me as the guy who killed for her. She sees me. Just me, not a dog of the military or a monster under the bed. Just...me._

We heard a light cough, and turn around to see Al waving at us from the door. "Uh, I'm pretty sure I heard Granny calling. Bye, guys." He sounded almost bashful, as if being in the same room as us made him uncomfortable.

I felt bad for him, making him feel so awkward whenever tensions ran high like this. _Back at the hospital, he was like this too. At least twice._ "Hey, Al." He paused, leaning back on the staircase so his head poked through the doorway. "How about you help Granny with whatever she's doing while we go and find Amber for you? And Den, too, of course."

"That's my puppy you're talking about, mister," Winry scolded playfully, jabbing me in my left side. "He'd better be more than just an afterthought."

Al's eyelights glowed with excitement. " _Really?!_ " he gushed. "Thank you, brother!" Now it sounded as if Al wanted to cry. "I knew there was a little bit of animal-lover left in you!"

Winry started giggling uncontrollably, managing to stand up and start putting away her tools despite the constant tremors of laughter. "What am I gonna do with you two?" she mumbled in a calm break between outbursts.

"Real funny, guys," I groaned. "Just because I'm being nice this one time does not mean you can adopt strays right and left now, okay Al?"

Al sagged a little. "Okay, brother."

I smirked, my small victory complete. "Come on, Winry. We've got a cat to find."

* * *

 _ **Please visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**This is the final chapter! Thank you all so much for your support! Now Ed and Winry get an ending they truly deserve!**_

* * *

The evening sky stretched out overhead, with the sun's last rays struggling to break through the dark to my left. Winry walked on my other side, and we crossed the field where Den and Amber had been running around. I looked at the fading sun, barely the size of my thumbnail against the horizon. I glanced over to Winry, whose gaze seemed locked on the rising moon. The stars slowly emerged in the velvety blue of the open sky, and the cloudless night seemed to be a sort of entity in itself, a serene, invisible being keeping balance between the light and the dark.

Winry suddenly broke the contented silence. "You know, the cat and the dog can find their own way home, if they want. Den never strays too far if he can help it, and Amber seems pretty independent anyway. If she doesn't want to be found, I doubt we'll find her." She laughed. "I guess my little temper tantrum earlier might have scared her a bit."

"It's a good thing Al isn't here. He'd be heartbroken to hear you saying that. She was meant to be _your_ cat, you know." I looked at her, my eyes roving across her face. In the dim light, the single bruise that remained on her eye seemed to be only a shadow, fleeting and ethereal. I thought about how strong she must have been to get through such a terrible experience with only a single mark on her to show for it. The bruise was there, though, just like the tears I had seen earlier, and I knew that no matter how strong she was, the memory of this awful month was going to stick with her for the rest of her life.

"Ed?" I looked away from her eyes, not wanting to be rude or anything like that. She smiled a little, and turned to face forward. "It's a wonderful night, even after all the chaos we've had to endure. It's a nice feeling, in a way, to know that the world isn't really all that shaken by your problems; it's just how you see it that changes." I feel my right arm move, and look down to see her hand wrapped lightly around my steel fingers, moonlight glinting off of the reflective metal of my arm. Her arm for me. A part of me we somehow shared.

I pointed to a low hill, saying, "I think that'd be a good place to look for cats. With that nice big tree right there, Amber could have easily climbed out of Den's reach." It actually was a nice tree, the branches spread just right so that the stars were still visible if you sat under it. The grass was cool, but still dry, and we leaned against the tree's trunk and stared at the multiplying stars surrounding the full moon.

I heard Winry whisper, "I think...I think there's something I want to say…" I turned to look at her. She was still staring at the night sky. I could see the hint of a blush forming on her cheek, but I decided to focus on what she said before making any rash judgements. _It wouldn't kill me to slow down and think about what I'm doing for once in my life._

"You both go out so often, and you get into so much trouble with it all the time. You want to get your bodies back, I know, but… if you die, you won't have a body to fix anymore. Not one that works, anyway." She furrows her brow, frowning. "I don't really know if that even makes sense. I don't think it makes sense what you're doing, or how I feel about it, but we just have to take what we've got and go."

I quirked my head to the side, raising an eyebrow slightly. "How you feel about it? How _do_ you feel about it?" She had expressed a lot of opinions about our personal quest over the years, but I didn't know whether or not any of them were the whole truth of it. Maybe it was all of them?

"I feel, well… I feel like you're always leaving Granny and I behind. I feel like you're risking too much for too small a chance, and I feel that at the same time it would all be worth it to see you both happy and smiling again, with Al in his real body and you with your arm and leg back. I feel like I miss you all the time, and I wish that there were some way for you to get what you want without having to leave." Her hand tightened around mine, and my own automail hand gripped hers in response.

I struggled to say something smart about it. I really didn't want to be that idiot she kept watching as he left on one dangerous journey after another; I wanted to be the one she could count on, the one that didn't let her down so often. The one that could actually be there for her once in a while. I wanted to be someone more important than me. "I think that I don't care, up to a point, what happens to us. If we get our bodies, then we succeed. If we don't, then it was never possible. But I know for a fact that you should never have gotten involved, not like this. I swear, Winry, on my life and everything I am, I will never let anything like this happen to you again. I'm not going to stop until we can all rest easy, because I just recently realized this affects you just as much as it ever affected me or Al. I want to make sure you won't have to worry about us. I don't want you to worry about yourself." She looked at me, her eyes shining in the moonlight. More tears gathered, but they didn't fall. She smiled. I smiled back.

She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but she just settled back against the big tree, nestling her head on my shoulder. "Isn't that kinda uncomfortable?" I asked. She was leaning at a bit of an awkward angle, but she gently shook her head no.

"Honestly, Ed, I don't mind at all."

I leaned my own head next to hers, looking at the stars again. They gleamed in the inky black that the sky had become, providing a strange sense of calm. "You know, Winry," I said, without warning, "there's a reason, I think, that you don't have to be afraid of us not coming back. You know how in the old days, before compasses and maps, travelers found their direction by the stars? Well, Al and I really don't have much in the way of compasses when it comes to this weird quest we've started. All we do is chase leads and follow rumors, and we need something to bring us back on track. That's you. You're the star map, Winry. You're the little light in the darkness that guides me back home."

Winry let out a huff of laughter, and a shaky sigh. "At least you didn't use alchemy," she said, and out of nowhere…

We were kissing. She was _kissing_ me.

I didn't know what happened, or how in the hell this made any sense, but I didn't care. For once in my life, I didn't care at all. She huddled closer, her lips pressing into my own before slowly backing away. _No. You can't be done yet. I don't want you to._

Her eyes briefly opened, widening in surprise as I followed her and started kissing back. I put my arm, my metal one, behind her head, and let the other one reach across to find her own hand. I could feel my heartbeat in my temple, pounding in my ears and searing across my thoughts. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, and we just… melted, I guess, into this trance-like state where neither one of us felt quite there. I was drifting towards a euphoria, and the euphoria drifted back. Eventually, we stopped for air, and I opened my eyes.

The euphoria looked exactly like Winry. Her eyes were wide, like she couldn't believe what had happened. I couldn't either. "Did we just…" Her voice was quiet and soft, like she was afraid of driving away some easily startled animal. "Did we...actually _kiss?_ "

I blinked. I blinked again. "Uh… y-yeah. I guess we did. We, um… we just kissed. A _lot_."

Winry's face went almost entirely scarlet. I felt the heat rising into my own face, and figured I wasn't too far behind her.

I lifted my automail arm out from behind her back, and caught a glimpse of the yellow-white glow of the summer moonlight streaming through my fingertips and reflecting off of the polished metal. I smiled, and glanced at Winry, who was also looking at my arm.

"It's pretty cool, isn't it?" she said. "The glow of the steel, the hum of the ball bearings, the dexterity of the artificial joints...it's actually beautiful, Ed. Can you see that?"

"Yeah." I took a longer look. The arm seemed to gaze back at me, and I saw a reflection of my eye in the palm of my hand. _It may be on my body, connected to my nerves, but it's Winry's soul that was put into it. And I think it's beautiful, now more than ever._ "It really is."

She giggled. "Now I _know_ something's up. What happened to the real Edward? He's never been this much of a soppy romantic." She stood up and began jogging lightly away.

My smile turned quickly into a hurt frown, even though I was laughing. "Hey! I'm one of a kind! There's _nobody_ else stupid enough to try to be me!" I leapt to my feet and began to chase after her, and we both just kept laughing like little kids. A bark sounded behind us, and Den bounded past us with his tongue lolling playfully.

"Come on, Ed!" Winry shouted behind her, "you still have to fix Al, you know!"

As Den and Winry raced each other home, I couldn't help but take one last look at the vibrant sky. Winry was healing, the light in her slowly breaking through the shadow that was cast over her. She wasn't done yet, but she was still fighting, and someday, she would win the war she had been forced to fight within herself. Someday she would emerge stronger than ever.

Someday, we'd _both_ have full metal hearts.

* * *

 _ **Please visit my friend and co-author, DarksteelRebelhawk, out on Wattpad! His stories are so amazing**_ _ **!**_

 ** _Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed, favorited or followed this story! I had so much fun collaborating with_** ** _DarksteelRebelhawk, and there may be a chance that we will co-author another FMAB fic together in the near future, so if you liked this one, please stay tuned!_**

 _ **-warehouseluver13**_


End file.
